Superheroes will be descending upon Oak Harbor for the Fourth of July.
Special Needs from the Heart is organizing and hosting a Super Hero 5K fundraiser for the morning of Independence Day to raise awareness — and funds — for Early Childhood Education.
To promote the run, the organization held a T-shirt design contest.
“It was designed for children all over the island to just draw a picture of their favorite superhero,” said organizer Lonnie Schopen.
Brennan Sanchez, a sixth grader at Oak Harbor Middle School, won with his drawing of Iron Man.
On Tuesday, June 10, Schopen and Sanchez’s family surprised him at school to let him know the great news.
“He worked really hard, so it’s a nice surprise for him,” said Sanchez’s dad Gerardo.
Schopen arrived with a basket full of superhero toys, gift certificates from local businesses, balloons and a T-shirt with Sanchez’s drawing on the front.
She also brought along a special guest, Iron Man.
Sanchez was surprised and excited to meet his favorite superhero.
As part of his prize, Brennan gets to kick off the race by blowing the starting whistle.
The T-shirts will be printed with his design and given out at the race. Schopen said there will be other designs that people can purchase, but the majority of them will have Sanchez’s Iron Man drawing on them.
Gerardo said he’ll be participating in the race.
“With my T-shirt, I’ll be there,” he said.
This is the first-ever Superhero 5K Special Needs for the Heart in Oak Harbor. If it goes well, Schopen said, organizers will hold one every year with the recipient of the proceeds changing depending on need.
This year’s recipient, Hand in Hand Early Childhood Learning Center, works with children who score low on placement tests for kindergarten so that they won’t be behind their classmates, according to Schopen.
She said that funding was low for them, but the need is high.
“Anybody can make donations, everybody needs to come out and everybody needs to participate,” Schopen said. Participants are encouraged to dress up as superheroes, but any comfortable running or walking clothes are accepted.
For information about the 5k, visit www.specialneedsfromtheheart.com To register for the race or make donations, visit eventbright.com or active.com
